


Like Magic

by Strawberry_Champagne



Category: Tales of Vesperia
Genre: Comment Fic, Community: comment_fic, Drabble, F/F, Fluff, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-03
Updated: 2014-09-03
Packaged: 2018-02-16 01:54:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2251488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawberry_Champagne/pseuds/Strawberry_Champagne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The things that we can learn from each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like Magic

It’s storming, which means a delay in their journey until the clouds pass. The wide balcony of the Heliord inn room affords a stunning view of the chaos; just outside, rain sheets down at an angle, driven and scattered by the wind. Streaks of lightning in the distance illuminate the stone city.

Estelle pulls her feet up onto the bed, tucking them beneath her almost daintily, like all of her actions.

“Rita,” she says, “do you know any magic tricks?”

The younger girl scowls. “What kind of question is that? I’m a mage, aren’t I?”

She regrets the sharpness of her words immediately. It comes to her like breathing, that prickly barrier against letting people in. There were too many condescending words back in Aspio, sneers she turned her back on when she buried herself in research. ‘Genius mage’ had been an insult which she wrapped around herself like a cloak, making it her own. And now she’s made the corners of that small, pink mouth turn down ever so slightly--but it’s enough. Rita sighs.

“Sorry.” There, she managed that. “What kind of trick do you want to see?”

“Oh. Um.” Estelle looks off into the distance. She hadn’t thought about it, apparently. “Could…could you make something disappear?”

“Of course. That’s easy. Here, go get me one of my scarves.”

Estelle looks delighted as she hops off the bed and carefully chooses one from the pile in the corner of the room. It’s a deep blue, almost black, studded with sparkling bits of glass that are meant to be stars. She holds it out to Rita, who takes it in both hands ceremoniously.

With a few words and a brilliant, multicolored flash, the next blink Rita holds out empty palms. The princess claps, smiling brightly. It was a simple trick, but Rita finds herself blushing from the attention rather than annoyed.

“That was amazing, Rita!”

“It was nothing,” she says, waving the praise away. “I could even teach you how to do it, if you want.”

Estelle beams at her. “I’d love that. Oh. But I don’t want to be a bother…I should teach you something, too. It’s not a magic trick _exactly_ , but…”

With only a moment of hesitation, she reaches for Rita’s hand, turning it over palm up. A rush of warmth flows through her at the contact, and she tries her best not to stammer.

“Estelle…what are you, um,” she begins, but that’s as far as she gets. The girl takes one ungloved finger and brushes it along her skin.

“I learned this from one of the servants at the castle,” Estelle says, her expression one of intense concentration. “She grew up in a mystic family of one of the mountain villages.”

Her fingertip rests on a crease in Rita’s palm. “This is called the heart line. Yours says that you care for others deeply, but I already knew that.” Estelle giggles a little, but quickly sobers. “It also says…you can be hurt easily.”

She says the last in almost a whisper and looks up. Part of Rita wants to snatch her hand away and tell her the whole thing is absurd. But the pity that she despises isn’t there; it’s only Estelle, innocent and compassionate and lovely. And she _could_ hurt her, the risk is too great, but a small voice in Rita’s head says that losing this warmth would be so much worse.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on December 15, 2009 in the Livejournal community comment_fic  
> Prompted by: moontyger  
> Theme: Abracadabra  
> Prompt: Tales of Vesperia, Rita/Estelle, magic tricks


End file.
